V-tach and A-tach same person

[gr13579]

I am a 34 yr old Man
I have had two pacemakers.
I also had two WPW's ablated.
I have just foung out I have V-Tachy and A-tachy
They are running 1:1
I cannot find any info on this condition
its either one or the other but not both
Can anyone help me?!?
I called the AHA and I stumped the lady,
she couldn't find any info on it either
she just sent me info on clinical trials
I am very worried I passed out last week and was taken to the ER  they had no answers for me either.
Thank you  

[seska]

hi

I am 29 and have a pacemaker and have had ablations for IST, Focal Atrial Tachy, Atrial Flutter and AVNRT. I also get non-sustained VT and paroxysmal AF (PAF). I think multiple arrhythmias are not so uncommon, but possibly less so in younger people. I know that in my own case, having Sinus Node Disease (Tachy-Brady-Syndrome in my case) makes multiple arrhythmias the norm in this instance, although the VT was a bit of a strange surprise (not a pleasant one!).

I hope your cardio can get to the bottom of all this for you and help deliver appropriate care

take good care,
Seska x

[roxie1161]

Thank you for your concern!  Actually, I'm changing primary care physicians now, the one I was seeing is a jerk!  Sorry, if I offend anyone.
The 185 bpm is only during the SVT episodes, other wise my heart rate goes between 54-129 according to the Holter.
Can you have WPW and the accessory path doesn't show up on the EKG?
I ask because I really don't have many problems except when I have an episode, and they really don't happen that often, maybe once every two months, could be longer or shorter in between, but that's an average.  
Thank you again.

[gr13579]

Oh my goodness! why have you not been sent to a cardiologist???
Having a heart rate of 185 is something you should see a cardiologist for
it could be serious Ventricular tachycardia or V-FIB
It has been my experience in the last 5-6 years dealing with doctors THEY DON'T NOW EVERYTHING!!! you need to do some research and stand up for yourself they work for you
you need to tell your primary you demand to see a cardiologist now!!

[PikaPika88]

Hi Roxie,
Ask me, I thick I've 40 yrs history since my first palpitation. WPW was given when I was 15 yrs old. My English is not that good, if I'm wrong or mistake please feel free to jump in and correct them.
Just start with recently 2005, (otherwise too long and too complicated) If irregular pulse come in, it could be A Fib or pacemaker fail heart somewhere not working (I experiencing 2 times with irregular heart beat. 1995 is pacemaker fail with complete heart block. 2005 is call A-Fib.) If palpitation regular then it could be tach.  I don't know is  A-tach or V-tach.  If strong beat (hurt) sensation, it could be kicking or may be is pacemaker mode switching. I'm not sure it kick Atrial or Ventricle, If more than 2 strong beats, I get dizzy and nausea. That's all I know.
I get heart racing but my pulse highest is 80. Some practitioner said I think too much.  Once I open my eye at the bed, heart racing is already there. Then I think, what day is today? Do I need to go to work or not?
I think first Dr determine my WPW is from ECG and Blood test?? I guest.  After 9 yrs they did Cath... It determine the location of pathway, node??? Between 6 yrs old and 14 yrs old, all these palpitations were treated as "mum ask me to go to sleep." Once I woke up, the palpitations all gone!
They give me a pacemaker on 1982. Dr asked me to have an operation on the chest in 1984 to fix the palpitaion.  I said " NO! "  They recommended ablation in 1985.  2005, it is the first echocardiogram that I heard and done in my life.  My left ventricle mildly or slightly enlarge.  Other all perfect.  What is yours echocardiogram said?  All above are roughly introduction, Please feel free to raise questions that interested you.  I hope you understand my English. You take care, Pika.

[gr13579]

I feel my heart take off
no distiction of seperate beats
I get light headed and feel like **** for a day or so
Then I sleep alot
I was diagnosed with WPW when I was 12
then when I was thirty
I was having alot of problems
My doctor felt I need to have the
extra wire blasted, when he got in there he found I had
two extra wires  (TWO WPW WIRES)
those were blasted
EKG is how doctors find WPW
Now I find out I have a-tach and v-tach happenning at the same time.
I think if it wasn't for my pacemaker recording it
they would have never found it.
from what I gather it doesn't show up on EKG
I don't know for sure
My doctor has finally made a appointment for me to explian all this (I HOPE) after waiting two weeks after they interigated my
pacemaker  I go in on monday.
I will let you know what he says about it  

[roxie1161]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING AND RESPONDING!
Pika, I understood your English okay.
I haven't had an echocardiogram, had 3-4 EKG's, many blood tests, and chest x-rays.  The first EKG showed 185 bpm and ST-T changes with ST depression suggestive of subendocardial ischemia, the second showed 85 bpm, left atrial abnormality, and again the ST-T changes with ST depression noted over the left ventricular leads which could be related with LVH and/or subendocardial ischemia, and the x-ray on th same day showed normal as did the blood work.  
The last EKG showed nothing but some PAC's, the blood work was again normal, and the chest x-ray showed minor enlargement of the heart.
The Holter monitor showed some minor arrhthymia (sp).
Anyway, I am just really confused as to what all of this means, if anything!  I haven't been sent to a cardiologist yet, and was actually wondering why.
I guess I'll just try to be thankful I don't have all the problems you(Pika and GR13579), and some others posting on here have.  
I wondered about the WPW because my primary care doc said I didn't have symptoms of that, he thought I had SVT.
I did start to have an episode of SVT yesterday, and I did what the ER suggested and took a deep breath and bore down (like going to bathroom) AND IT WORKED!  That really excited me, since I had never been able to stop them before, just had to wait them out.
I wanted to try to send a question to the doctor, but I can't stay up all night trying!  I'm always too late in the morning.
It has helped to calm me down reading the posts on here, so I thank everyone for sharing!
God Bless you all and take care!

[PikaPika88]

Hi, I'm here again. You won't be alone.  After ablation my one drop to 40. I was very sick when I woke up in CCU. I'd an internal & external pacemaker for about a week. 10 yrs ago, my pacemaker's lead was leaking. I end up with complete heart block.
Now I've A Fib. Dr said I've A Tach (I don't know which one I had? It couldn't be both, ask our expert: Tickertock). Pacemaker switches the mode, it is not enough to stop my palpitations. It increases my V rate.  Last Friday then I knew my 2 leads St Jude pacemaker also call ICD. My god, it was in my chest for 10 yrs, I didn't notice it can fire.  It is not presant when it kicks. I've these strong beats more than 10 times a day nearly everyday. So far so good my heart haven't caught fire yet!!! Last month, it programed automatic switches DDDR to DDIR if needed, I suppose.  I felt the strong beat was chasing the light beat. (Playing chasing each other game). It woke me up at night 3 to 4 times, drive me crazy! Did yours one like that too?  I feel palpitations but my pulse never goes over 80 since after ablation. Dr said I still have my WPW pattern and own conduction there. (Tickertock, please help to explain, please....)If you have any question, please feel free to ask. I'll answer and tickertock will explain. (I hope you don't mind.) It is too hard to get a chance to post for a doctor to explain. Take care! Pika.

[roxie1161]

Hello
I am new here, been reading a lot for a week or so! What does it feel like when you have an episode?  Do you notice them separately or does it just feel like your heart is racing?  How did your doctor determine that you had WPW?  A certain test for it?  How did you go about getting the ablation done, did a doctor recommend you have it done or did you ask to have it done?
What will an echocardiogram diagnose?

A little history - I've had episodes of racing heart for at least 9 years now.  They were very frequent when I was pregnant with my son and my OB/GYN said I was having panic attacks.  In April of this year I went to the ER because I'd been having an episode lasting 2+ hours, and the ER doc said he didn't think it was panic attacks.  I've had EKG during the episode and after I was converted using Idenacard (?)and one said left atrial abnormality, and some other stuff.  I just had a Holter monitor which came back with rates of 54-129 bpm, periods of sinus tachycardia, PAC's including couplets, and something about repolarizations.  
Sorry about the run on!  I have so many questions and my doctor doesn't seem interested enough to answer them, or hasn't yet anyway, and he has not referred me to a cardiologist.
I would appreciate any feedback any one can give me.

Thank you!

[gr13579]

The ablations were successful
as far as my ECG says
after I had them blasted
My heart rate dropped to 23 beats a minute
so I had the pacer inplanted
Thank you for the questions I am
writing all this stuff down
Stuff i would never even know to ask.
THank you everyone agian

[tickertock]

I think you said you an ablation for WPW, was your ablation a success or failure? Did having the ablation cause you to end up having a pacemaker implanted? Why the need for a pacemaker if the WPW ablation was a success? Is the pacemaker overdriving? Are you experincing atrial fibrillation with 1:1 conduction to ventricle resulting in wide complex tachycardia being confused with VT when actually the tachycardia is originating above the ventricles? These are some questions I would ask my cardiologist if I was experiencing your problems. I am not medical doctor or nurse, but these are the questions I would ask. Good luck and hope you get the answers you are searching for , also some relief.

[gr13579]

P.S. I have only one pacemaker in now they removed the first
plus one wire
they gave me a new wire and a new pacemaker
Thank you everyone for you
input

[gr13579]

When they interigated my pacemaker
he said you have both atrial tachycardia and
ventricular tachycardia happening at the same time.
I guess I have a wire in my atrial and one in my ventricular
they both picked up the tachycardia.
he pulled out five readings from the last
two weeks all with a-tach and v-tach happening at the same time
I go in Monday for a better explaination
with the cardiologist.
but I have been all over the internet and called the AHA
and have not found anything explianing this condition

[tickertock]

Any arrhythmia that originates above the ventricles or at the AV junction is an SVT, they are many of them. Common sinus tachycardia, paroxysmal atrial tachycardia(PAT), inappropriate sinus tachycardia(IST), junctional tachycardia, atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia(AVNRT) atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia(AVRT)permanent junctional reciprocating tachycardia(PJRT)multifocal atrial tachycardia(MAT), even atrial fibrillation and flutter qualify as SVTs from understanding, they are many, SVT is a broad term for all tachycardia that originate above the ventricles, at least this is what I understand.Only a trained doctor/cardiologist or EP can tell you which type a person might have.

[Bromley]

Hi. Its my understanding that SVT refers to a class of arrhythmias that originate in tissue above the ventricles. Not sure,  but this category (SVT that is) might include AVNRT and atrial tachycardia.

[wmac]

Its odd that they both happened at the same time. The day before I got my loop recorder taken out I felt something strange, I literally felt the top part of my heart do one thing and the bottom of my heart do something else at the same time. But of course my luck my recorder was full so I couldnt record it. Is that what yours feels like when it does it.
wmac

[wmac]

Hello, I just read your comment. Did you say that you have A-tachy meaning supraventricular tachycardia and ventricular tachycardia?? Well I also  have both as well. I had a ep study in January  and at that point didnt know I had the svt thought I  only had v-tach. my ep study demosnstrated only dual AV nodal pathway physiology without inducable AVNRT. They coundnt induce the vtach either. I just found out about a month and a half ago that I also have svt. So needless to say they did not ablate anything. I have never passed out. I go back down to the university of Utah this thurs. for another echo and im going to beg for another ep study with hopes of being fixed. Oh they couldnt induce svt either during the ep study. good luck and whatever you find out let me know.
wmca

[tickertock]

I really don't know to be honest, also I am not a medical doctor, what i do gather from the article the woman had dual Av nodal physiology that is a form of AVNRT (atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia and also a spot in her right ventricular outflow tract(RVOT) that triggered VT. WPW is a form AVRT ( atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia), notice nodal is left out , it simply means that there is a direct connection bewteen the atria and ventricle, in WPW when atrial fibrillation is occuring because of the bypass tract(some bypass tracts are concealed and dont show up on ECG) it can conduct 1:1 to ventricles resulting extremely fast dangerous heartrate that could possibly turn into Ventricular fibrillation and cause sudden death , this is a very rare occurence and complication of WPW from my understanding . AVNRT is reentrant loop within or near the AV node that causes a fast heart rate by causing a circular rentry around the Av node and is not connected directly from atria to ventricle like WPW though the mechanisms are similiar from understanding.

I really can't answer or comment about your ECG and WPW as I am not a medical doctor,the information and comments above is my opinion and understanding of the difference between the 2 SVTs and I could be completely wrong also. Good luck and hope you get some answers soon.

[gr13579]

could the woman have had WPW
The article was very helpful
It seems like my condition before I had both of my WPW's
ablated  
AND even now could WPW come back and not show up on EKG's

[tickertock]

Go to http://www.ipej.org/0402/pirat.htm


This will explain in rare cases of an SVT that can initiate a VT and vice versa, mainly AVNRT triggering RVOT VT and RVOT triggering AVNRT, very complex , but interesting. Good luck.

[gr13579]

Sorry I keep reposting. My story is so
complex and has been going on for 6 years
the doctor told me my plumbing great. It is my electrical system that is going haywire
after countless stress test nuclear stress test
blood work and everything else they say my heart is healthy
the electrical system is shot.

[gr13579]

OH YA I have been on bata blockers
with horrible side affects

[gr13579]

Yes I have both at the same time
after I passed out and they interigated my pacemaker
they found I had both v-tach and a-tach happening at the same time running 1:1
the reason I had had two pacemakers is one of them malfunctioned

[Pete-Man]

Hello,

I just wanted to be sure I understood your post correctly.  You mean that either you have atrial tachycardia or ventricular tachycardia but not both of them at the same time, right?  I recently posted on here because I have different types of arrhythmias including atrial and now possibly ventricular tachycardia also.  I wonder if v-tach and atrial tach can both occur in someone with an otherwise "normal" heart.

I will look forward to the response you get and I wish you the best of luck.

[PikaPika88]

Hi, have the doctor given you any beta blocker to take yet? Why your 2 pacemakers didn't take action at all?  I want to see the doctor's comment too. I'm very sure you would find out the answer shortly.  Good luck and take care.